Phil Luciano: Good Book stolen as part of robbery

Phil Luciano

Tuesday

Jul 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMJul 28, 2009 at 7:15 PM

" 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the Lord.' " - Jeremiah 30:16-17. Perhaps that verse can comfort Michael, the victim of one of Peoria's weirdest robberies in a long time.

" 'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the Lord.' " - Jeremiah 30:16-17

Perhaps that verse can comfort Michael, the victim of one of Peoria's weirdest robberies in a long time.

As for the guy who ripped him off? Maybe, just maybe, he'll take a good, hard look at those words. After all, he has them at his fingertips, because he took Michael's Bible at gunpoint.

You read that right: Michael was a victim of a strong-arm robbery whose booty included a Bible.

I don't know the street value of a Bible. Some call it priceless. But I doubt there's much of a black-market worth there. In secular terms of dollars and cents, it can't be worth too much.

It's just a little, orange Bible that Michael, 21, carried in his pocket just about everywhere he'd go. He got it years ago from his mother, a devout churchgoer.

Michael lives with her in Central Peoria. I don't want to say anything more about his identity, as we don't want to give his assailant any further information.

About 10:15 p.m. on July 20, Michael left a friend's home and started walking. An unknown male dressed all in black popped out of nowhere, Michael says.

Michael says, "He wasn't big, but he wasn't a little guy."

More importantly, he was carrying a silver pistol. He told Michael to empty his pockets.

The fast-food employee didn't have much with him. His pockets held $90 cash, his house keys and that little Bible.

The robber told Michael to walk away slowly. When Michael got a good ways away, he dashed off toward home. By then, the robber was nowhere to be seen.

Michael called police. Officers searching the area spotted no one suspicious - nor a discarded Bible.

So, maybe the thief held on to it. Michael says he hopes the guy reads the book. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there, especially self-help tips for those with light fingers.

I don't know if heaven takes a keener look at crimes like a Bible-grabbing. Granted, I can't think of the last Bible robbery. But just last autumn, Peoria did see a pair of purse-snatchings outside churches, one downtown and the other on the South End.

As for the Bible heist, it could turn out to be a good thing, if the robber were to take a peek inside. On the other hand, that's not to say Michael doesn't deserve to get his stuff back.

Meantime, he already has a replacement Bible.

"I already got a new one, from my Mom," he says.

Like the old one, it's small enough to carry in his pocket. I told him to keep a close watch over this one.

"I will," he says.

His assailant might wonder if there's a very good reason why he ended up with a Bible as part of his low level of loot. Maybe there's an answer inside:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10